{"id":2172186,"date":"2026-09-30T19:26:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2172186"},"modified":"2026-09-30T19:26:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:26:32","slug":"former-halo-lead-suggests-three-ways-activision-could-revive-the-legendary-series-and-urges-the-company-to-hire-laid-off-bungie-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2172186","title":{"rendered":"Former Halo lead suggests three ways Activision could revive the legendary series, and urges the company to hire laid off Bungie staff"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Former Halo lead suggests three ways Activision could revive the legendary series, and urges the company to hire laid off Bungie staff<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Prophet of Truth?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Halo-infinite-cortana-master-chief.png?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Cortana and Master Chief stand facing each other in a dark room in a screenshot from Halo Infinite.\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"Halo-infinite-cortana-master-chief.png\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Xbox Game Studios<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Kaan Serin avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/1633424287.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"216\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Kaan Serin avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"1633424287.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"216\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/kaan-serin\">Kaan Serin<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Contributor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\n<p>Published on   <time datetime=\"2026-09-30T19:26:32+00:00\" data-auto-time-zone=\"true\" data-year=\"numeric\" data-month=\"short\" data-day=\"numeric\" data-hour=\"numeric\" data-minute=\"numeric\">Sept. 30, 2026, 7:26 p.m.<\/time>\n              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/halo-lead-activision-revive-hire-bungie-developers?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          5 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"header_actions\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"0f485ae2-0313-4526-8c9d-143889d716e8\" data-name=\"Halo\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Halo\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Halo\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Halo\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Halo\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Halo\" title=\"Follow Halo\"><br \/>\n  Follow Halo<br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n  <a class=\"button outline wide preferred_source_button\" data-component=\"preferred-source-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=eurogamer.net\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n    <span class=\"logo\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><br \/>\nPrioritise us on Google  <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\" data-autopogo>\n<p>Halo&#8217;s ex-franchise director, Frank O&#8217;Connor, has given Activision a few pointers now that it&#8217;s in charge of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/next-halo-game-developer-call-of-duty-stuidio-xbox-restructuring\">making the next Halo game<\/a> with a &#8220;purpose-built team.&#8221; Top of the list, hire some devs who were laid off from Bungie and Halo Studios.<\/p>\n<p>O&#8217;Connor&#8217;s time with the iconic sci-fi series stretches back to the early 2000s, when he jumped aboard at Bungie and eventually became the series&#8217; development director at 343 Industries. He left the studio during an internal shakeup in 2023, shortly before 343 rebranded into Halo Studios, which has since been gutted due to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-layoffs-activision-rare-halo-ninja-theory\">Xbox&#8217;s &#8220;reset.&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There are three paths,&#8221; O&#8217;Connor recently commented on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/gennymharrison_i-saw-a-post-yesterday-arguing-that-microsoft-share-7508874095682441216-5r2L\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&amp;rcm=ACoAAAAaG1oBIwkPtHbGN0FhsE1ZiiIKqFU8lGc\">a LinkedIn post<\/a>, talking about whatever Activision&#8217;s Halo plans are. &#8220;None of these are easy, guaranteed or necessarily viable.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>His first suggestion is that Activision could make a &#8220;classic&#8221; Halo game with the series&#8217; familiar, heavy movement and chaotic sandbox &#8220;tailored to a core audience [and] scaled&#8221; to also be &#8220;attractive to a broader one so it can grow (not to mention [the] obvious fact that Halo MP is better [with] more people playing, by mathematical default).&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Activision&#8217;s second path, according to O&#8217;Connor, sounds like a completely modernised and substantially different Halo &#8211; one that &#8220;reinvents the game\/universe in a surprising but fantastic way.&#8221; What that would look like is anyone&#8217;s guess. &#8220;Maybe it&#8217;s a new take on the FPS, maybe it&#8217;s an action RPG,&#8221; O&#8217;Connor wrote. Either way, it would get &#8220;a small head start based on curiosity or loyalty.&#8221; The idea of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/activision-new-halo-game-fans-worried-lore-reboot\">full-on lore reboot wasn&#8217;t totally popular<\/a> with series fans.<\/p>\n<p>And, finally, there&#8217;s the third path, which basically sounds like Call of Halo. O&#8217;Connor said the company could &#8220;translate Halo IP and sandbox into the [Activision] comfort zone,&#8221; by using the &#8220;player progress and business models that are proven to work&#8221; time and again in the Call of Duty series. Activision could then &#8220;craft a big annual or semi-annual spectacle and constant content,&#8221; much like it does for its other heavyweight military shooter.<\/p>\n<p>The ex-Halo boss then ended with two more bonus tips. One, &#8220;Hire Bungie, Halo Studios and other laid off folk who are bursting with talent and ideas that got nerfed or shut down over the years.&#8221; The second is to avoid tying the next Halo to &#8220;hardware\/service launch cycles&#8221; or forcing it to launch on aging platforms &#8211; like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/halo-infinite\">Halo Infinite<\/a>&#8216;s Xbox One version.<\/p>\n<p>Activision&#8217;s Halo is still likely years away since the publisher hasn&#8217;t even assembled a new team for the project yet. Here&#8217;s hoping Master Chief&#8217;s next comeback isn&#8217;t as bumpy as his last &#8211; <em>checks notes &#8211; <\/em>four attempts.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\" data-autopogo>\n<p>Halo&#8217;s ex-franchise director, Frank O&#8217;Connor, has given Activision a few pointers now that it&#8217;s in charge of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/next-halo-game-developer-call-of-duty-stuidio-xbox-restructuring\">making the next Halo game<\/a> with a &#8220;purpose-built team.&#8221; Top of the list, hire some devs who were laid off from Bungie and Halo Studios.<\/p>\n<p>O&#8217;Connor&#8217;s time with the iconic sci-fi series stretches back to the early 2000s, when he jumped aboard at Bungie and eventually became the series&#8217; development director at 343 Industries. He left the studio during an internal shakeup in 2023, shortly before 343 rebranded into Halo Studios, which has since been gutted due to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-layoffs-activision-rare-halo-ninja-theory\">Xbox&#8217;s &#8220;reset.&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There are three paths,&#8221; O&#8217;Connor recently commented on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/gennymharrison_i-saw-a-post-yesterday-arguing-that-microsoft-share-7508874095682441216-5r2L\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&amp;rcm=ACoAAAAaG1oBIwkPtHbGN0FhsE1ZiiIKqFU8lGc\">a LinkedIn post<\/a>, talking about whatever Activision&#8217;s Halo plans are. &#8220;None of these are easy, guaranteed or necessarily viable.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>His first suggestion is that Activision could make a &#8220;classic&#8221; Halo game with the series&#8217; familiar, heavy movement and chaotic sandbox &#8220;tailored to a core audience [and] scaled&#8221; to also be &#8220;attractive to a broader one so it can grow (not to mention [the] obvious fact that Halo MP is better [with] more people playing, by mathematical default).&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Activision&#8217;s second path, according to O&#8217;Connor, sounds like a completely modernised and substantially different Halo &#8211; one that &#8220;reinvents the game\/universe in a surprising but fantastic way.&#8221; What that would look like is anyone&#8217;s guess. &#8220;Maybe it&#8217;s a new take on the FPS, maybe it&#8217;s an action RPG,&#8221; O&#8217;Connor wrote. Either way, it would get &#8220;a small head start based on curiosity or loyalty.&#8221; The idea of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/activision-new-halo-game-fans-worried-lore-reboot\">full-on lore reboot wasn&#8217;t totally popular<\/a> with series fans.<\/p>\n<p>And, finally, there&#8217;s the third path, which basically sounds like Call of Halo. O&#8217;Connor said the company could &#8220;translate Halo IP and sandbox into the [Activision] comfort zone,&#8221; by using the &#8220;player progress and business models that are proven to work&#8221; time and again in the Call of Duty series. Activision could then &#8220;craft a big annual or semi-annual spectacle and constant content,&#8221; much like it does for its other heavyweight military shooter.<\/p>\n<p>The ex-Halo boss then ended with two more bonus tips. One, &#8220;Hire Bungie, Halo Studios and other laid off folk who are bursting with talent and ideas that got nerfed or shut down over the years.&#8221; The second is to avoid tying the next Halo to &#8220;hardware\/service launch cycles&#8221; or forcing it to launch on aging platforms &#8211; like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/halo-infinite\">Halo Infinite<\/a>&#8216;s Xbox One version.<\/p>\n<p>Activision&#8217;s Halo is still likely years away since the publisher hasn&#8217;t even assembled a new team for the project yet. Here&#8217;s hoping Master Chief&#8217;s next comeback isn&#8217;t as bumpy as his last &#8211; <em>checks notes &#8211; <\/em>four attempts.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Former Halo lead suggests three ways Activision could revive the legendary series, and urges the company to hire laid off Bungie staff Prophet of Truth? Image credit: Xbox Game Studios News by Kaan Serin Contributor Published on Sept. 30, 2026, 7:26 p.m. 5 comments Follow Halo Prioritise us on Google Halo&#8217;s ex-franchise director, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2172186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2172186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2172186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2172186\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2172186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2172186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2172186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}